Dry FliesShade
The Shade is a dry fly pattern designed by Hans van Klinken. This effective pattern combines traditional materials with proven techniques for consistent results in a variety of water conditions.
Spring, Summer, Fall
Intermediate
Trout
Feb 2026
Overview
Hans van Klinken's pattern designed for low-light conditions and shaded water. Features a distinctive CDC wing that provides natural movement and a soft landing. The slim profile and muted color palette excel when fish are wary or in clear water situations. The dubbed body creates subtle segmentation while the hackle provides just enough flotation without overdressing. Works particularly well in pocket water and along undercut banks.
Materials
Hook: Lightning Strike NW1 #12
Thread: Benecchi 12/0, grey
Hackle: Whiting Coq de Leon hen, dark pardo (wrapped into thorax)
Abdomen: Goose biot, dyed purple
Thorax: UV Ice Dub, brown
Behavior & Presentation
Natural Behavior: Fish hold tight to shaded banks where insects drop from overhanging brush throughout the day. Anglers work dark patterns along protected lies because fish ambush prey in confined spaces with limited escape routes.
Where Trout Eat It: Fish intercept resting and fallen caddis at the surface in shaded streams, forested creek runs, protected banks, and near weed beds in lakes.
How to Fish It: Dead drift with drag-free presentation. The darker coloration excels in overcast conditions and shaded water where subtle patterns avoid spooking wary fish.
Best Water: Focus on shaded runs, heavily forested stream sections, undercut banks, protected pockets, and structure near weed beds in low-light zones.
Strike Type: Watch for visible rises, ranging from subtle sips in calm water to splashy eats in broken current.
Fishing Strategy
Rigging Suggestions: Use a 9-12 foot leader tapered to 4X-5X tippet (5-6 pound test). Apply quality floatant to maintain surface presentation. The darker profile requires good lighting for the angler to track the fly.
Seasonal Timing: Most productive from April through October with peak effectiveness during mayfly emergences in May through July and caddis activity from June through September. Fish during morning and evening when insect activity and trout feeding are most intense.
Pro Tips: The subdued coloration excels on pressured fish that refuse brighter attractor patterns. Sizes 12-16 cover most situations. Consider adding a small bright indicator material at the wing post to help track the fly in low light while maintaining the dark body profile that fish see from below.
Entomology
Caddis seek shaded areas along stream banks where they rest between egg-laying runs, occasionally falling from vegetation into protected pockets. Fish holding in these low-light zones ambush the vulnerable insects in confined spaces where escape routes are limited.
- Order
- Trichoptera
- Common Name
- Caddisfly
- Organism Type
- insect
- Life Stage
- adult